It’s been almost two months of not working. I’ve been thinking more and more about what’s next. I don’t really want to work in education, which is hard. Education has been my career for 18 years, half of my life. I taught pre-school, worked for the k-12 school board, and spent 12 years in higher education at a large state college. If I don’t do that anymore, then what? 

I love helping people, but the work culture in education keeps getting worse and doesn’t allow for truly helping students. And while I love helping people, it’s both rewarding and exhausting to have your work potentially impact someone’s life in a big way. Working in higher ed. I had the privilege of helping tons of people, including one student in particular that I worked with for years. From academic suspension to graduation with his AS degree. About a year after he graduated he came to visit me, even though I worked at a new campus by then, to tell me my guidance and support helped save his life. It was flattering and eye opening. I didn’t do anything particularly extra for him. I was kind and I helped him plan and set realistic expectations. To think that showing up and doing my job changed someone’s life is mind blowing and humbling. 

In between the opportunities to help students, you spend way more time dealing with the political bullshit that caused my burnout and led to my decision to leave a job I, in theory, really enjoyed. I just don’t know if I can blindly follow another school into the battle for enrollment. 

I would love to do something creative. I have been blogging for about a billion years now, ok so maybe just like 13 years. I started designing (I am using that word loosely) cards and washi tape a couple of years ago and I want to have a few things printed to see if any stationery stores might want to sell them. I would love to open my own stationery shop, but I know myself and how much I love to travel and from what I’ve seen and heard owning a store and taking off on last minute trips just because don’t really mesh well. 

I did a lot of content creation over the last three years in my last job, so maybe something like that just somewhere new? I’m very organized and I love decorating and planning, so maybe event planning? I also love when things run smoothly, time isn’t wasted, and people aren’t trying to recreate the wheel for no reason, maybe consulting so people can work smarter not harder? Project management? Maybe a sarcastic sidekick to a wealthy person that wants a modern version of a court jester on their staff?

I don’t know. This is the hardest part of our life explosion, after house hunting. I want to do something, I just don’t know what, and I don’t know when. 

How long does it take to recover from soul crushing job burnout? How long do you just type your feelings on the internet before you try to move forward? Or is this just it for now? For a while?

I am really uncomfortable here in the unknown. I love a plan, but honestly in 36 years have any of my plans come to fruition as intended? Nope.

So here I am, writing at a coffee shop, again. I’ve got an iced latte, I cried in public again, and I’m listening to Lindsey Stirling on Apple Music. I am grateful to have this break in work to recover and think about my options. I just wish I felt like I had some direction or a clue to what’s next. 

If you’ve changed careers before, leave some tips in the comments, because I need ‘em.